On Rosh Hashanna we dip the sweet apple in the even sweeter honey, symbolising our desire for a sweet new year. The apple, like most other fruits is a naturally sweet fruit. But honey is not only made from a non-kosher insect but from a bee that stings. And what’s more, it is the honey that tastes sweeter than the apple!

What is the message of the honey?

In life things come our way that are obviously good. Like the apple, they look good and they taste good. But throughout life we also have many tests, many difficulties, many struggles…and they sting! They do not feel good. But what we have to remember is that even the things that sting us, that don’t seem to be good are all for our very best and can push us to our greatest heights. And so on Rosh Hashana we daven that we should have the clarity to be able to look past the sting of the bee to see and to taste the sweetness of the honey.